The Rift
by Shadowsign
Summary: In their sixth year, Severus and Lily are blasted into the future during a fierce duel. Forced to work together, they will end up unwittingly altering the world's fate. Better summary in profile. Lily/Sev but not too much romance. Covers all books. Enjoy!
1. The Battle

**The Rift**

_Hi guys! This is my first ever fanfic and I really would appreciate reviews and advice on how to improve it. So far it's going well, at least in my opinion, but I promise to read any constructive criticism that you have to offer and, if possible, I'll try to respond to any comments you may have. Thanks so much for reading! The chapters are fairly short but I'm trying to add at least one a week._

_Notes:_

_Italics: Either used for emphasis or to show Severus/Lily's thoughts._

Spells hurtled through the air as the two young wizards dueled fiercely, the hatred on their faces identical. The shorter one smirked.

"Face it Snivellus. You'll never be able to beat me!"

His opponent ignored him and continued to attack fiercely, his usually cold features contorted into a mask of hatred. The battle raged on until finally Severus was the victor. Satisfaction etched onto every line of his prematurely aged features, he raised his wand, ready to finish of his downed victim. "Sectum-"

"SNAPE!"

A blur of red knocked Severus to the side. Evans. James accepted her outstretched hand, smirking as he was raised to his feet. Bowing extravagantly, he kissed her hand, only to have it pulled away hastily. Lily turned, blushing furiously, ready to punish Sev-no, Snape, never Sev. Never again.

_**Severus**_

_Bastard. It was always Potter, wasn't it? He challenged me to that damned duel, he bullies me every day of my life, but he's got Lily, he's got the parents who care for him, he's got a house that doesn't look like it's made from cardboard. What do I have? Mates who'd probably stab me in the back if the Dark Lord asked them to. Not that I'd blame them or anything.._

"Oi, Snape!"

Severus lifted his head, roused from his bitter thoughts.

"What do you want this time, Mulciber?"

"It's not me, it's Malfoy. He wants to meet you in the Charms class. And he's_ pissed_, Snape. What the hell have you done?"

Groaning inwardly, Severus leapt to his feet and left the dungeons. He glared at anyone who walked within a meter of him, to no-one's great surprise. Eventually, he arrived at Flitwick's class, which appeared to be deserted. Ignoring his instincts, which were screaming out at him to leave straight away, Severus strode into the classroom, ebony wand clutched in his hand. For a few seconds, there was silence. And then Malfoy, Prefects badge gleaming on his chest, detached himself from the shadows, flanked by Nott and Macnair.

"So good of you to join us, Severus."

"The pleasure's all mine, I can assure you Malfoy."

"Call me Lucius, my friend"

This was strange. Very strange, even for Malfoy. However, Malfoy was rich, charismatic and influential, not to mention pureblooded and (or so rumour had it) a favorite of the Dark Lord. Some even whispered (very, very quietly) that he had already taken the Mark. If he wanted to ally with Snape, who, as far as he was aware, had no money whatsoever, had about as much charm as Peter Pettigrew and even less influence, who was Severus to say no?

"What do you want...Lucius?"

_"_To talk about...certain matters"

"Such as?"

"The rise of the Dark Lord, my friend."

"What...is there to discuss?"

Lucius' demeanor changed instantly. He became quiet and dragged Severus to a corner of the room, leaving his cronies to keep watch. His voice softened to a whisper…or a hiss.

"Whose side are you on, Snape?"

Snape froze. He was a sixth year! As far as he was aware the blond seventh-year standing before had never even spoken more than a word to him. And now he was being_ recruited_? Severus' first instinct was to refuse, and to refuse loudly-and then run the hell out of there to Dumbledore's office. Then he had a vision.

_Severus, standing by the Dark Lord's side, powerful and respected._

_Severus, standing over the corpses of the Marauders._

_Severus in a vault more opulent than even Malfoy's. His vault._

_Severus hailed as a savior of wizardkind. Respected and loved by all...Even Lily._

"I'm with you, Lucius"

Lucius smiled a sharklike grin, a grin reminiscent of a predator.

"I rather thought you would be. I'll owl you over the holidays, my friend. Be prepared to take a little outing..."

And with those words he swept out of the room, followed closely by his hulking henchmen.

Shaking his head dazedly, Severus walked out of the classroom a few minutes later. He made his way back to the dungeons still wondering what was going on. Suddenly a memory popped into his head unbidden.

_What do you want this time, Mulciber?"_

_"It's not me, it's Malfoy. He wants to meet you in the Charms class. And he's pissed, Snape. What the hell have you done?"_

Malfoy hadn't been angry at all, in fact he had been shockingly polite and-dare he think it-friendly, especially considering that he was talking to a half-blood. What the hell was going on?

Deep in his thoughts, he failed to look where he was going until he walked straight into-ohgoditsherohshitohshit_-Lily Evans_.

As Severus stood up, he focused on keeping his masklike features under control. He couldn't let her know how he felt. He hid the pain, the hurt, the anguish...Just as he always did. Ignoring the urge to offer her a hand up, he simply sneered and walked on.

"Stupefy!"

Damn, it looked like Potter was trying to play the gallant knight again.

"Apologize to Lily, you little git!"

Severus replied by shooting a curse at him. And so the duel began. Hexes whirled through the air like knives-and just as deadly. This time, they were fighting wound-severely wound. Severus briefly wondered where the Marauders were, but he was quickly forced to return to the task at hand-namely, kicking Potter's arse.

As always, Severus won the upper hand. Potter was skilled, immensely so in fact, but Severus was a master-or so he liked to think. This time, Lily wouldn't stop him-wait, where was Lily? Quickly immobilizing Potter, Severus hurried to her side. A stray curse had knocked her unconscious and a strange green tinge was starting to appear on her skin. _What have I done? _Severus swore under his breath and cast a Levitation spell on Lily. He considered turning her invisible so no-one would see her, but he didn't think he remembered the spell right.

Cursing his own stupidity he slowly made his way to the medical wing, making sure to stick to secret passages in order to minimize the chance of being detected. It was while he was in one of these passages that he began to have second thoughts. What the hell was going to happen once he got to Madam Pomfrey? Questions would most certainly be asked. Even if he did manage to avoid getting caught-maybe he could leave her outside the medical wing and sneak off?-he would still have to deal with Potter, who had seen the whole thing. No, it was better to try and heal her himse-

"Expelliarmus!"

And there was Lily, panting with rage, lacking the green pallor that she had sported just minutes before and decidedly conscious.

He began edging towards his wand, trying to placate the furious witch in front of him.

"Evans, I swear this isn't what it looks like. I was just trying to get you to Madam Pomfrey!"

"One more step towards that twig you call a wand, _Snivellus_, and I'll try out some of that Dark Magic crap you adore so much on _you_!"

"Lily, please, calm down! I was just trying to help!"

Both of them started, surprised by Severus' slip. _Is her face softening? Is she calming down?_

_**Lily **_

_Damn. What the hell am I meant to do now? He sounded like…Sev. Like he did before he started hanging out with Mulciber and the rest of those other idiots._

"Is that so?" She finally asked, surprised her voice didn't shake.

"Yes, it was an accident. I think that Potter or I must have accidentally hit you with a curse.

After struggling with herself for a few seconds, Lily came to a conclusion. She summoned Sev-_Snape's _wand and threw it at him. After he caught it, she bowed stiffly. He looked bewildered for a split second and then laughed hollowly.

"Lily, a formal duel? You can't be serious," he began, only for Lily to interrupt him.

"I assure you Snape that I am completely serious. If I win you will leave James and I alone for the rest of the school year. If he attacks you for no reason, you will turn and walk away." Snape glared silently at her and said nothing. Suddenly, she had a brainwave. "Not only that, but you will get all of your so called friends to leave everyone else alone for the rest of their time here at Hogwarts"

Snape laughed. To her ears it sounded harsh, mocking, hateful.

"Evans, you can't be serious. I won't duel you, I can't duel a girl and do you really think that I can stop them bullying those idiots you call friends?"

"I assure you, Snape, that I am deadly serious. You can definitely duel a feeble little girl like me-and when I thrash you, you might think twice next time you call me or one of my friends a Mudblood. And you better at least try to stop them!" she retorted, hoping secretly that he would turn and walk away. Not only was she unsure whether she could defeat her former best friend, she was also terrified of hurting Sev-_no,_ she reminded herself. _Not my Sev. He's gone now, forever. _Her internal struggle was interrupted by said former best friend, his voice cultured and cold-a far cry from the warm, laughing tone he once spoke to her with.

"I accept your terms, Evans. And when _I _win, you will…you will…stop being friends with those idiot Marauders!"

Lily inwardly sighed with relief. Those terms were far too high. She could walk away from the duel she had instigated with minimal loss of pride. Severus stared at her, seeming to gauge the direction of her thoughts and quickly added "Unless, of course, you're too frightened!" he jeered. Her reply was a bolt of aqua blue light that he quickly dodged, leaving a mark on the wall behind him. He responded by unleashing a volley of red beams at her, each one striking as fast as a viper.

_Merlin, he's fast, _Lily thought, barely managing to block the attack with a well-placed _Protego_.

The duel continued for half an hour, both of the two teenagers so absorbed in their battle that they didn't notice the passageway crumbling around them, so powerful were the strikes they unleashed. Both of them were sweating heavily. Lily and Severus were widely believed to be the best wizards of their time, more skilled even than the year sevens. This was the first time that they had ever seriously dueled each other and Severus, in a rare moment of clarity during the battle, reflected that if they had hated each other from the first year they would have probably succeeded in blowing up the school, such was the intensity of this duel.

Finally, it ended. Severus unleashed a bolt of black energy from the tip of his wand, a bolt so powerful that it ripped through Lily's hastily erected shield and smashed her into a wall. If she hadn't cast a Cushioning charm in the nick of time she probably would have been severely injured-well, even more severely injured. She sunk to her knees, refusing to look at Severus' smug face.

_**Sev and Lily **_

_From here onwards, I will stop switching between PoV's. While this story is about both Sev and Lily, I find it easier to write from a single point of view and I reckon I write better with Sev. I only wrote from both their PoV's during this chapter to sort-of try and capture what is going on in Lily's mind when it comes to Sev. If enough people ask for it, I may add a couple of chapters every now and then in Lily's PoV._

Severus stalked towards the fallen girl, his face an arrogant mask-a mask hiding the guilt that he felt. He should never have used _Umbra Tentatio _on Lily. It was a new spell that he had been developing, a special one that's power changed depending on the intent and emotions of the user. In theory, if the spell had enough malice behind it, it would have enough destructive force to be classified as the fourth Unforgivable. Thinking of _Sectumsempra__,_ he quickly amended his thought. The _fifth_ Unforgivable. The best part about his two deadly new spells was the fact that they were not monitored by the Ministry, so in theory if someone was caught using either one, they would not be able to be charged for casting an Unforgivable-although he had no doubt that the spell would immediately be classed as an Unforgivable. He mentally shook himself and returned to the task at hand, namely pretending to gloat over his victory. The look on Lily's face instantly removed the sense of euphoria that was threatening to consume him-horrified as he was by himself, _he had beat Lily in a duel_. As far he was aware, Lily _never_ lost a duel. Then again, neither did he. Lily laughed hollowly, standing up rapidly. Severus saw sparkling grains of what looked like that sand of-oh _shit_-a Time Turner. To his horror, he saw a tiny hourglass clutched in Lily's right hand. It was cracking, breaking and…BOOM! Everything flashed a bright white and then faded to black. When the light cleared the half-destroyed passage was deserted…

_That's the end of this chapter! What did everyone think? Please read and review! By the way, there are a few major differences in this timeline:_

_Sev and Lily are both prodigies. As in Dumbledore/Riddle-level prodigies. However Severus only really shows this power in duels and while he is inventing, as he is secretly terrified of Voldemort and he isn't sure whether or not he wants to catch the Dark Lord's eye-of course, Malfoy makes the choice for him! Other differences will be revealed as time goes on…_

_By the way, I recommend you get used to Sev's Umbra Tentatio spell. It becomes his signature and it's a great way of showing how Sev is feeling. For those of you who want to see why Sev reckons it could be counted as an unforgivable when it's at full power...You'll have to wait quite a while, but it will, I hope be worth the wait!  
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_**Next Chapter: The Hogwarts Express**! In which much is explained and little is understood._

_Once again, please review when you read this. In fact, enough reviews and I might update tomorrow!  
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	2. The Keeper

****The Hogwarts Express****

_Hi guys! This is my first ever fanfic and I really would appreciate reviews and advice on how to improve it. So far it's going well, at least in my opinion, but I promise to read any constructive criticism that you have to offer and, if possible, I'll try to respond to any comments you may have. Thanks so much for reading! The chapters are fairly short but I'm trying to add at least one a week._

_Notes:_

_Italics: Used for emphasis._

_**Bold:**_ Used to show Severus' thoughts.__

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I really am very grateful! In this chapter Severus meets the enigmatic Keeper, who has some very important things to say…_

Severus rose shakily to his feet, wand at the ready as always. Where was he? And why did he feel so...tiny? He groaned and shook his head, trying to clear his still-ringing ears and his shaky vision. _**Note to self. Never blow up time turners. Ever. **_

"Look who's finally awake," a cold, female, voice spoke. "You humansare _so_ frail."

Severus' vision finally cleared, and as it did he saw the strange figure standing in front of him. She appeared almost entirely human, but Severus had a sneaking suspicion that she was something…other. The glowing blue eyes and the ethereal wings attached to her back may have aided this particular suspicion of his. The fact she was hovering a foot of the ground didn't hurt his theory much either. As he regarded the woman, at a loss for the first time in almost a year, he became aware of a powerful force attacking his mental barriers. Almost instinctively he countered the mental blow with one of his own. Easily ripping through the creature's frail mind-barrier, he began sifting through the memories contained within, only to find…

_A young, greasy haired, boy cowering from a hulking man with a belt in his hand._

_The same boy, on his eighth birthday. He forlornly blows the single candle on the muffin his mother made him. It tastes of sawdust. One day, the boy vows, he will dine with the Wizenmagot. He bets that they don't eat sawdust-flavoured muffins on their birthday._

_The boy, hanging mid-air by a lake, his best friend become his tormentor._

"_You should wash your pants, Snivellus."_

"ENOUGH!"

Severus waved his wand, expecting a jet of darkest night to tear the otherworldly figure in front of him apart. Instead, his wand emits a few black sparks and peters out. The cracks on the ebony wood spread.

"My…my wand. What the hell did you do to my wand?" Severus' voice was quiet now, broken. He was unarmed, facing a mysterious foe that could turn his own prodigious strength against him without batting an eyelid. Severus was learning just how hopeless Potter must have felt, cowering before him, and knowing at last that he had been outmatched.

"You enjoy his suffering, don't you?" It was a statement, phrased as a question.

"Potter? Only as much as he enjoys mine."

The strange figure regarded him for a few minutes that, to Severus at least, felt like hours and then, finally, began to speak.

"If you could start again, would you?"

"What are you talking about? My life?" Severus smiled bitterly. "In an instant.

The figure smiled sadly.

"Then…Then you are very fortunate. By destroying the Time Turner, you and Miss Evans here"-the figure points towards Lily's unconscious body-"have set in motion events beyond anyone's control. You, my angsty friend, are in the future."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Severus was terrified now. What was going on? "Who are you anyway?"

"I…am the Keeper. I am Time. I am the means to an end. I am the endless void, the Rift of Creation. But that is not important, not to you at any rate. I am more interested in your own fate than my own."

Severus tried to speak, but found himself unable to. The Keeper then began to speak of things both terrible and wonderful-not to mention confusing. She told him of the fall of the Dark Lord-defeated by Lily's son, with Potter no less-, and of the state of the world that Severus was shortly going to be thrown into. She told him of Lily's death, along with her husband's untimely demise. **Potter, dead? Heh. I wonder what became of me? **To Severus' dismay, the Keeper never did tell him his own , she said, in a lower tone: "And Severus? If you truly love her, you will have to change for the better. Potter may be out of your life, but I can assure that a beautiful girl like your Miss Evans-"She's not mine" Severus automatically interjected, only for the Keeper to ignore the interruption and plough on-will not stay single for long."

"Why do you care about me anyway?"

The Keeper laughed, her clear voice ringing like a bell.

"Oh, Severus-Why would I not care about you and your little friend? You've become players in the game now, far beyond mere pieces. What you do will effect everything, forever. And by the way, don't think too harshly of yourself. Things change, Severus, remember that. Things always change. And I think that it's time you woke up…"

With those enigmatic words, the Keeper faded. And Severus opened his eyes, to the sound of, well, sound. Slowly getting to his feet, he thanked Merlin fervently that he hadn't been trampled on by the endless hoards of parents and students. The words of chattering children filled the air, a red train waited to be boarded. Platform 9 ¾. **Hasn't changed much, has it? Wait, where's Lily? **"Shit!" And with those wise words, Severus began to search frantically for his red-haired partner in crime.

"Damn, Snape. I never knew you cared." And there she was, smirking, her beautiful green eyes sparkling with joy and happiness. Even now, she could feel happiness? Surely it must be_ harder_ for her, being separated from all she had ever loved. Severus had never loved, never been loved, so he had embraced this chance at a new start, a new life. Seeing her joyful face, Severus somehow felt cheated. How could she be so happy, _always_!

"I assure you Evans; I don't care for you at all. I merely wanted to tell you that you are an _idiot. _How did you get your hands on that Time Turner? It's not like we need them for extra lessons like we did in third year…_Unless you stole it!"_ Upon these last few word, Severus' voice-damn, he was a squeaky eleven year old-lowered and he leaned in closer, as if to catch a murmured reply. He certainly didn't expect Lily to _slap_ him. He definitely didn't expect it to hurt.

"None of your business…Severus?"

"What now?" His voice was more petulant than he had wanted it to be.

"Can't we at least _try _to be friends again? I mean, you don't have to hang out with those Death Eater cronies any more. Please?"

"I…Friends?"

"Yes, Sev. Friends"

"Err…Oh look, the train's leaving! We'd better hurry…Lily." With these words, Sev quickly grabbed Lily's hand and sprinted towards the bus. Lily, unbeknownst to him, whispered:

"I've missed you, Sev…"

As they entered the last deserted carriage, Severus stopped.

"Lily?"

"Yes?"

"Did your wand snap?"

"Yeah, why…Oh. Shit"

"Mine did too. And we don't have any trunks or any money in this time either. We're kinda screwed, you know that?"

"Damn."

Their conversation was interrupted when a short boy with black hair walked into their carriage.

"Sorry, can I sit here please? It's just everywhere else is pretty much full."

Wordlessly, Lily moved up. Severus swore under his breath. Ten minutes into his new life and he ran into _another_ Potter? No wand, no trunk and Potter mark 2 in his carriage-this really wasn't the perfect start to a new life that he had envisioned. And then Severus saw his eyes.

_I promised to update today, and I did! I know this was a really awkward/terrible/short chapter, but I'm afraid it was necessary. The Keeper is pretty much my only OC and I struggle to write her. I'm sorry to say she will be a recurring character. Next chapter will be way better, I promise! Please review, I really appreciate them and it inspires me to write better, longer chapters quicker. Enough reviews and I'll update on Saturday or maybe even tomorrow if I'm feeling up to it._

_Just a few notes now:_

_-Severus and Lily will have a VERY awkward relationship for a few chapters, they only really reconciled due to the desperate circumstances._

_-Severus WILL be a little OOC for a bit, but it's all part of his cunning-this time, he's determined to be the one with power, the Riddle of his generation if you like, and so he's going to be a lot more charismatic in my fic. But all the insecurities run deep still, you have my word on that…_

_-Severus and Lily were BOTH visited by the Keeper; however neither of them knows that the other was visited by her._

_-Finally, Severus and Lily both continued their lives. Both of them are completely unaware that a part of themselves was sent into the future. They have no memory of that fateful day, although they remember having a duel, they both assume that they were both knocked unconscious. Lily married Potter, had Harry, and died. Snape's path went according to canon at first (basically, he became a Death Eater), but did not beg Dumbledore for Lily's life as he had given up on her, even if he did still love her. Due to his amazing skill, in this AU he became one of Voldemort's lieutenants very quickly, taking the moniker the Dark Prince. Upon the Dark Lord's defeat, Severus disappeared and he still hasn't resurfaced. Sinister, no? This change is largely due to the 'prodigy thing' I told you about last chapter. Both our Sev and FutureSev are a lot prouder than actual Sev, as they are much more highly regarded due to their amazing skills._

_Also, a question. Which house should Lily be sorted into? Sev has his own plans, as always…_

_Next Chapter: The Bookworm, The Weasley and the Sorting._


	3. The Prince

**The Prince of Darkness**

_Hi guys! This is my first ever fanfic and I really would appreciate reviews and advice on how to improve it. So far it's going well, at least in my opinion, but I promise to read any constructive criticism that you have to offer and, if possible, I'll try to respond to any comments you may have. Thanks so much for reading! The chapters are fairly short but I'm trying to add at least one a week.  
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_Notes:_

_Italics: Used for emphasis._

_**Bold:**__ Used to show Severus' thoughts._

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I really am very grateful! In this chapter...everything begins to change. Severus and Lily are sorted along with everyone else, and a shadow that never should have been pays his respects. I really am pleased with the way this chapter turned out, and I hope you everyone who reads this will be too. Be wary of the Dark Prince, he won't show up in the flesh for a while, but he is going to be a major player, one who threatens to…Well, maybe I shouldn't tell you that just yet! This chapter is a fair bit longer than chapter two._

_Also, a quick note. In this timeline, as Severus outclassed the Marauders thoroughly, his dislike for Potter, while strong, is nowhere near as intense as it is in canon. That is why he begins to befriend Potter. Either that, or Lily is a REALLY good influence. With that said, enjoy the chapter!_

They were green. Lily's eyes in Potter's face-Severus wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. So he stayed silent. Lily gasped, which seemed to discomfit the boy-no doubt the boy, 'Harry Potter'. Severus sneered-ah yes, he'd almost forgotten that the boy had been raised by Muggles-by Petunia, no less!-and was therefore, hopefully, just a tiny bit less insufferable than his accursed father. Meanwhile, while Severus brooded-he was good at brooding, in case you hadn't noticed-, Lily was being Lily-in other words, ridiculously friendly to a boy she had never met. Severus noted, with some amusement, that Harry, who was looking somewhat overwhelmed by Lily's chatter, no doubt thought that she was an admirer. To his credit, however, Harry-**can't call him Potter, not yet anyway**-was taking Lily's jabber well-better than anyone bar Sev, in fact. In fact, once he had got used to the girl's rapid speech, he quickly found himself drawn into her conversation. Severus noted, with some approval, that Lily was acting as if she, like Harry, was new to the world of magic. Although at first Severus tried to keep tabs on the conversation as he seriously considered trying to learn wandless magic on the train, he quickly fell into slumber. And he dreamed a dream of darkness and fear, a dream of shadows and a Prince without a throne…

_**Godric's Hollow**_

_The shadowed figure strode through the graveyard, black hood obscuring the face within. As he walked, he was joined by a horde of robed figures; each and every one wearing a silver mask fashioned to look like a grinning skull. Although the sinister figures vied to be as close to the hooded man as possible, as the strange party neared a shining tomb there was an almost comical scramble to get away as the hooded one knelt at the tombstone. "The last enemy that will be destroyed…Is death. And Death will fall, and he will fall at my hand. The Hallows will be mine!" The figure vowed as he rose to his feet. As he rose, a wordless cry was heard from the unfortunate closest to him. The Dark Prince revelled in his servant's screams, in the fear in his follower's hearts-their eyes were masked, but he was power incarnate. His Legilimency was unparalleled, and the fools who sought to conceal their hearts from him paid dearly for their futile efforts. Eventually, the screams stopped. Unstable as the Prince was, he never killed a weapon. While they masqueraded as Death Eaters, his fell hand was concealed from the world, and so he could continue his dark machinations without any risk to himself. He smiled humourlessly to himself-Oh what plans he had for this world! _

_Unlike his predecessor, the Dark Prince remained nameless, and as faceless as his followers. He felt that it added to the mystique, to the mystery that still surrounded him, despite the fact that rumours of a new Dark Lord rising, greater and more terrible than Voldemort himself, had been whispered for almost five years now. Anyone who tried to discover the truth behind those whispers tended to decide they had been mistaken-severely mistaken. And if anyone ever noticed that they seemed just a little more forgetful, a little less sharp, who was going to draw the conclusion that they had been mindwiped by a Dark Lord who had never even been sighted?_

_And then, it happened. A small boy, eight perhaps, saw him. He saw through the hood. He saw the obsidian eyes flecked with red, the thin mouth, the nose that had once been hooked and twisted. He was the first being to see the tormented face of the man who had once been Severus Snape in almost a decade. The child, who seemed to be at home amongst the tombs-perhaps he was the reverend's grandson?-looked at the Prince and smiled. "Hello! Do you like the tombs as well? I like the lady on the statue-she looks nice. Do you like her too?" The Prince almost smiled. Almost. The child had magic, that much was clear. He would never have seen the memorial otherwise. However, the child had seen him, and so he must pay the price. If the Prince had been alone, without the watchful eyes of his sycophantic followers fixed upon him, the child might have escaped unharmed, albeit Obliviated. But he was not alone, and for that, he pitied the boy, the boy who would never see another dawn, the boy who would never kiss a girl or feel the sun upon his face again. The Prince raised his ebony wand, which sparked and pulsed with dark magic-it would take a powerful wizard indeed to realise just why this wand contained such power-and spoke the words that had been uttered so many times before, the words that had been the death of Lily Evans and the weakling she had loved._

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

_And then there was silence, and the shadowed figures melted into the night. The hooded man stood there for a few seconds more, leaving a single lily upon his lost love's grave. And then he too disappeared, leaving only a lily and a corpse to mark his coming. The Dark Prince rises. And the world will never be the same again._

"Sev, wake up!"

Severus yawned. "What?"

"Sev, Ron does need to sit down ya know!"

"Who's Ron?"

After a few minutes of being brought up to speed-God, Lily attracted friends like honey to flies-Severus was introduced to Neville, Ron, Hermione and Harry. Lily whispered to him that she had called herself Lily Whitegrove, and had named Sev as Severus Prince, which earned her a glare. As the six talked, Severus and Lily trying to be as friendly as possible-which earned Severus a suspicious look from Lily-, Severus noted that amongst his newfound friends, he seemed to have the most in common with the rather bossy bookworm Hermione Granger and the Boy-who-looked-like-James himself, Harry Potter. The latter naturally shocked and disgusted Severus, but he could not deny that the fact that the son of James Potter-_and Lily_, his treacherous mind whispered-was bullied by his guardians and had grown up moneyless and friendless struck a chord with him.

To his shock and dismay, he found himself liking his classmates quite a lot-although they were frightfully Griffindorish. **But in a good way, like Lily,** he thought to himself. As they laughed over Ron's failed attempt to turn his strangely-familiar rat yellow, Severus reflected that this train journey was a hell of a lot better than his original first year journey. That was until Hermione asked everyone to show a spell, in a kind-hearted attempt to divert attention from Ron, who was now as red as his hair. Neville managed to levitate Scabbers a couple of inches before losing control of the spell, Hermione successfully turned Scabbers yellow-to Ron's dismay-and Ron, valiantly trying to redeem himself, tried to disarm Hermione-only to gawp as she deflected the spell with a wave of her wand. Lily quickly excused herself by claiming that she had left her wand in her trunk and was too comfortable to get up-which earned her a lecture from Ron about how a wizard or a witch should keep their wand on them at all times. Lily struggled to keep serious during the lecture, as she recalled Severus waxing lyrical about the same subject in their original first year.

Severus, who had already said that he was a half-blood, was unable to use the same excuse and so he shamefacedly 'admitted' that he had been caught by the Ministry using his wand last week and was banned from using it until he arrived at Hogwarts. He asked his newfound friends if one of them could lend theirs to him so he could cast a spell. Hermione happily acquiesced, to his delight. While he was unwilling to show off his full spectrum of skills, he decided that he would show off, just a little, so he cast a flawless Pluvius spell, creating a beautiful rainbow that illuminated the carriage. He noticed that Harry in particular was enthralled by the magic, reminding him so much of Lily that he was hard-pressed to stifle a laugh. As the group oohed and aahed over Severus' magical ability-except Lily, who was naturally unimpressed, and Hermione, who looked a little crestfallen,-they were interrupted by a pale boy with blond hair who reminded Severus of a wimpier, midgety, Lucius Malfoy. He introduced himself imperiously to the carriage as Draco Malfoy and then began to talk to Harry. As the boy, who was flanked by two thugs, outstretched a thin hand to Harry, Severus was forced to utilise his Occlumency skills in order to keep his annoyance from showing. After Harry's cool dismissal of the Malfoy brat, Draco made to walk off, before he noticed Severus and gave a start. "You don't seem like a Mudblood, or a blood traitor for that matter. Should I know you?"

"I'm a Prince. Severus Prince."

"A Prince heir? I thought there was something pure-blood about you…Come with us-we could have a lot to talk about, Severus-you don't want to fall in with these lot, they're a bad sort. "

Severus paused. Should he renew his ties with Slytherin house or should he stick with his new friends? Seeing the looks his friend's faces as they realised he was conflicted quickly decided him: while he would once have definitely been interested in creating strong ties with the Malfoys, he sensed that Harry Potter would be a far better ally than the cowardly Malfoy. _And a better friend, too..._ Crushing the strange sentiment welling up from within, he sent the Malfoy boy off by calmly quoting Harry's words, which earned him a smile from his newfound friends-and a far more hesitant one from Lily.

The rest of the journey passed without any trouble, and in an hour they had arrived at the boats, led by Hagrid. The friends split up, three to a boat, and Severus took the opportunity to get to know Neville and Ron a little better-originally he was going to go with Lily and Harry, but Lily had indicated to him that she wanted to get to know the boy who could have been her son, and Hermione had wanted to talk to Lily about schoolwork-it really did surprise Severus how similar the two could be. Severus did begin to appreciate Neville a little more-behind the shyness, he really was quite intelligent-and he enjoyed Ron's company as well, but honestly, how could he know so much about the Chudley Cannons? Severus joked-**me, joking! Something's very wrong…-**that Ron was too young to be a stalker and, to Severus' surprise, Ron chuckled good-naturedly before extolling the seemingly endless virtues of _The History of The Chudley Cannons_.

After what felt like an hour of Quidditch related hell, they finally reached Hogwarts. While waiting for the Sorting, Severus reassured the others, telling them that the Sorting was done by a hat-he chortled a bit when he heard about Ron's fear that you'd have to fight a troll, although Ron's brother's sounded too much like the Marauders for his liking. After the latest musical epic composed by the Sorting Hat, the sorting began, with no particular surprises-although he was worried that he'd be left alone with Malfoy in Slytherin, as he knew from bitter experience that having friends in another house was a nightmare, especially when said house hated your own with a passion. Lily still hadn't been sorted-how did Mcgonagall know their taken names?-when Severus followed Harry, the latest Gryffindor to the Sorting Hat.

_Ah, Mr Snape. It's been a while, has it not?_

**Taken by surprise, Severus instinctively raised his mental barriers, only to lower them sheepishly**.

_Today, Mr Snape, you have choice. You are cleverer than any Ravenclaw, as cunning a snake as one could wish to find-or avoid-and you have a core of steel. You could even pass for a Hufflepuff, considering your newfound talent for making friends, eh? _

**That was Lily, not me. I…I can choose? I don't want to be a Slytherin again…definitely not Slytherin!**

_Ha! You really are shockingly similar to Mr Potter you know…Better be GRYFFINDOR!_

The only thing sweeter than the cheering of his friends was the shock on Lily's face. As the Sorting ended, with Lily returning to Gryffindor, Ron sheepishly whispered to Severus:

"Good to have you here with us mate. For a minute I thought he was going to stick you into Slytherin!"

Severus just smiled. After all, what was there to say to something like that?

_How's that for a Sorting, eh? I really liked this chapter, what do you guys think of the Dark Prince? I loved how this chapter turned out...Just to reiterate a very important point. Severus is more sociable because he is more self-confident and also because he is determined to make this new beginning the second chance he's always wanted. I know this is probably quite strange, because he seems like a totally different character, but I promise that next time he will let the masks come down Next chapter, Lily and Severus talk with each other and with Dumbledore, The Dark Prince grows ever more powerful, and Riddle set's his plans into motion.  
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_Reviews are really appreciated, so moar please! _


	4. The Serpents

**The Children of the Serpent**

_Hi guys! This is my first ever fanfic and I really would appreciate reviews and advice on how to improve it. So far it's going well, at least in my opinion, but I promise to read any constructive criticism that you have to offer and, if possible, I'll try to respond to any comments you may have. Thanks so much for reading! The chapters are fairly short but I'm trying to add at least one a week._

_**Notes:**_

_Italics: Used for emphasis._

_**Bold:**__ Used to show Severus'/ Lily's/ The Dark Prince's thoughts._

_Hi again, everyone! Only one reviewer this time round-I'm quite disappointed, c'mon guys! I would really appreciate it if more people started reviewing-it really inspires me to write better. I really want your opinions on how the story is going-nothing is set in stone, so your opinion could help shape the story to make it as good as possible! I'd be very grateful to anyone who offers their opinion on anything._

_This chapter is quite my longest yet, and it's split into a few different parts. It's mainly from the Dark Prince's point of view-so it still counts as Severus' PoV! I know that sorting Severus into Gryffindor is really, really overdone, but trust me, Severus is no Gryffindor. He had his own reasons for being sorted into Gryffindor, even if it does seem like he only went there to stay with his mates. Anyway, this chapter is about the Prince, like I said, and his negotiations with the seedy underbelly of the wizarding world. As the title suggests, it also has scenes from Draco and Sev's point of view. This chapter is set the day after the Sorting._

The Prince

He loved Knockturn Alley. It was the one place he would not go unnoticed, not go unreported. And today, for the first time in a month, he walked alone, not followed silently by his horde. Despite his best efforts, the Dark Prince was well aware that his existence was now rumoured throughout Wizarding Britain-although, to his great amusement, most of the fools believed him to be yet another mindless servant of Voldemort. They believed that he was merely a flag for the broken remnants of the Death Eaters to follow, they believed him weak and they believed him powerless-but they were wrong. He was more powerful than the Dark Lord ever was. Forcing himself from his musings when a bulky wizard walked into him, he hissed a warning to the bald man, who was practically twice his size. The wizard swore at him and raised his wand, but before he could utter a word a thin black beam struck him in the chest, smashing his ribcage and destroying the delicate organs concealed within. No-one took any notice, not even the burly men who had been laughing with the unfortunate corpse lying at their feet just a few seconds ago. This was Knockturn Alley, and if you were a Dark wizard with an aura of power as great as the Dark Prince, you could get away with murder-as the Prince had just proved. Ignoring the fact that the wizards around him were now giving him a wide berth, the Dark Prince walked on.

Finally, he arrived at his destination: A large, dilapidated store in the centre of Knockturn Alley. The place was strangely quiet, free from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the Alley, and even the Prince could not control a shudder of disgust at the dark energy emanating from the store. It looked abandoned, but he knew better. A whispered word, a dark intention, and a blast of dark energy smashed into the door, all but disintegrating the warped wood and hastily erected wards. Sneering disdainfully, the Prince swept into the store.

All was quiet. The Prince had been searching for almost an hour, yet he had found nothing. He grudgingly admitted-if only to himself-that this Quirrell character, despite his feeble ward-casting abilities, was seemingly a master of subterfuge. If it hadn't been for the wards protecting the store, as well as the sense of great power, the Prince would have given up by now. Another ten minutes passed. Still nothing. Another twenty minutes, and all the dark wizard had to show for his troubles was an aching arm, obtained after a run in with an (empty) booby-trapped chest. Healing the bruise with a thought, he continued searching until, at last, he struck gold. Dismissing the idea of sneaking up on the renegade dark wizard-he must have heard the chest-he waved his wand and spoke a word, demolishing the ground below him. As he hovered gently down, it soon became apparent that he was on the right track, for below the store was hidden a warren of tunnels that showed signs of being recently lived in-and recently vacated.

Snarling with frustration, the Prince's usually impassive demeanour was morphed into a mask of cruelty and hatred. Darkness seemed to swirl about him as he unleashed deadly curses in every direction, roaring as he did so. After about a minute, he stopped, thinking hard. While the place did seem like it was empty, the Prince was reasonably confident that not even a wizard capable of breaking into Gringott's would be capable of escaping the area without disturbing the Prince's extensive wards. His obsidian eyes, normally utterly emotionless, swirled with expectation. He raised his wand, spoke a few words. As the incantation came to a close, the dark tunnels shone with a purple light, which seemed to have been produced by a source further down the narrow tunnels.

_Umbrus Revelio_ was one of his finer inventions, the Prince thought smugly. It allowed him to sense artefacts and people which gave off a strong scent of dark magic: the more powerful the magic, the greater the aura created. The prince himself gave off a vast aura, so dark that it was practically invisible in the shadowed tunnels. The aura that he followed, however, was an oddity. He could sense the great power behind it, but the energy was strangely warped. It almost seemed doubled, as if there were two wizards in the tunnels-but by all accounts only one wizard had been seen here, only one wizard had dared break into Gringott's, only one wizard had had the audacity to attempt to resurrect the Dark Lord by stealing the Flamel's stone.

As the Dark Prince followed the aura, his mind was deep in thought.

**Who is this Quirinus Quirrell, and why does he wish to raise the Dark Lord from the dead? I do not recall such a man in the Death Eater forces, so the only possible explanation is that he was recruited by Voldemort after his fall. But if he is strong enough to communicate with other wizards…**

This was a worrying prospect for the Prince, as he was not certain whether or not his plans were developed enough to protect them from the meddling hands of Lord Voldemort-while the Prince was confident that he could evade the Ministry for at least a decade if it proved necessary, he doubted that the Dark Lord would fail to notice the fact that over a half his forces were no longer loyal to him. And what about the-_BOOM. _Dodging the blast of energy that had been fired at him left the Prince vulnerable, and he knew it. Inwardly cursing himself for losing focus, he fired several beams of green light at the rapidly approaching figure-he had intended to keep Quirrell alive, but he would not risk his own safety to do so-and Apparated behind the turbaned man. Raising his wand, the Prince prepared to finish the fool off-and then the turban fell back, and the face of Voldemort glared at him balefully. The monstrous visage let out a shrill laugh.

"Ah, Severus! How quickly you turn against your benevolent master! You of all people should know the fruitlessness of such an endeavour-do you not remember the unfortunate fate of poor Mr. Mulciber?

Severus did remember, all too well. Mulciber had decided that the time was ripe for a new Dark Lord, and had spent months trying to win the loyalties of the Death Eaters. When the time came for him to challenge the Dark Lord, the fool had been sorely disappointed: The Death Eaters stood with Voldemort, and the Dark Lord had tortured the traitorous wizard for days before allowing him to pass beyond the Veil. Keeping the fear out of his cultured voice, the Prince replied

"Your time is over, my lord-truly you have fallen, to see you housed in the body of such a mediocre wizard. I had wondered how this Quirrell character broke into Gringott's- Your doing, I assume?"

The Dark Lord laughed once more, seeming genuinely amused.

"How well you know me, my treacherous friend. You are correct in all your assumptions. I have indeed fallen-but I will rise again, greater than ever before. I have indeed been manipulating Quirrell-he has some talent, but none of the flair, the prodigy that we ourselves possess in such abundance. It is quite easy to take command of his body when I need to, so weak is his will. He failed me for the last time when he was unable to retrieve the Stone, and so I was forced to merge my frail spirit with his form, in order to oversee his attempts to take the Stone at Hogwarts-I assume that you were aware of its current location?"

The Prince gave a curt nod.

"Ah, splendid. You have no doubt been most industrious during my absence-a pity that you had not used your talents to aid me in my path to resurrection. If you had, you would have been richly rewarded. As it is, you must die. Goodbye, Severus."

And with those words, the battle began.

Draco

Life was not going well for young Draco Malfoy. Ever since he had been publicly humiliated after the welcoming feast by the Brat-who-lived, he had become the laughing stock of Slytherin House. It really was unfair, Draco thought. All he had done was shoot a few sparks at the bespectacled prat-honestly, those glasses were simply ridiculous-and the git had replied by shooting a weird jinx that had turned his clothes and hair bright pink. Draco had been shocked by the half-blood's prowess-hadn't he heard that he lived with Muggles?-until he saw the smug smirk on Severus Prince's face. Looked like the Prince heir had taught Potter a few tricks, Draco reflected glumly. Even his cronies-for-life Crabbe and Goyle had deserted him after he discovered (to his great dismay) that the spell would last for a whole week.

Draco had decided that he would not tell any teachers about this tragic event-if word got out of school, his father would surely stick up his head with the house elves-and so he was forced to lower himself to ask the pair for mercy. Just thinking about it made him shudder. And so Draco found himself loitering outside the Fat Lady's portrait (wearing a hooded robe for obvious reasons), having followed a random Gryffindor there. He was getting bored very, very quickly. After all, how long did it take someone to eat their dinner? A smirk came to his lips: No doubt it was down to Weasley, as he had probably never seen food like the stuff prepared at Hogwarts-the oaf was probably owling food home every day, even if that fat cow he called a mother didn't exactly need it. Draco spent the next half hour thinking similar pleasant thoughts about Potter, Prince and their Mudblooded pals. After all, no-one in their right minds would call the Weasleys or the Longbottoms purebloods-or wizards for that matter.

Draco's thoughts were interrupted when he finally saw Harry at the portrait. He considered trying to get Harry's attention by punching him in the back of his big head, but he doubted that such a manoeuvre would go down well, no matter how enjoyable he found it. He settled for tapping the young wizard on the shoulder, causing him to spin around and grip his wand tightly.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry's voice was cold, unsurprisingly.

"Relax, Potty. All I want is a truce-and for you to take off this stupid jinx."

Harry's face was stretched into a broad grin.

"Is that so Malfoy? I guess I could ask Severus if he knows how to get rid of the jinx-if you promise to leave us alone."

Draco was horrified-Potter didn't know the counterjinx! And that meant he was left to the dubious mercy of the enigmatic Severus Prince…They had only been at school for a day, lessons still hadn't started, but Draco was still certain that the boy should have been a Slytherin. He was a Prince, a pure-blooded family with a line as ancient and powerful as the Potters or the Malfoys and strong links to the House of Serpents. He was powerful, clever and cunning too-how else would the little git have been able to befriend Potter, who seemed to be obsessed with Mudbloods and Blood Traitors? Those traits alone made him an ideal Slytherin. They were also traits that Draco was sure he himself possessed, and he was determined to use them to unravel the mysteries of the Prince Heir. When Draco finally spoke again, his voice was pleading.

"Please, Potter. Prince won't help me. He's a-"

"What am I Malfoy? Please, do tell." Severus' voice was cold and yet managed to convey his scorn and amusement.

"Errr…."

Severus

Severus sneered at the blond brat as he spoke, sounding close to tears, about how he was being mocked in his own house thanks to his hair, and also due to the fact that he had been soundly trounced by a half-blood. From the way the snivelling idiot was going on, you'd think that he'd been thrown a few decades into the future with no wand, no possessions, and no clue what was going on. Now _that _was a serious predicament. After standing back and letting Draco Malfoy make a fool out of himself in front of a growing crowd of Gryffindors for a few minutes, Severus made a quick motion with one hand, hoping desperately that he would be able to perform the counterjinx wandless. To his vast relief, it went off without a hitch. Severus let Draco make a fool out of himself for a few more minutes, and then, snickering along with the rest of Gryffindor, he nodded at Draco. "It's done."

Draco looked overjoyed for about a millionth of a second and then, as he saw the crowd amassed about him, his relief changed to embarrassment. Severus noted with some amusement that Draco was not quite as good at concealing his emotions as he no doubt thought he was. As the crowd dispersed, with most returning to the common room (including Severus and company), Severus decided that he liked his new life very, very much. And then Lily slapped him. Hard. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville wisely retreated-Lily was a sight to behold when she was as furious as she was now.

"What the hell was that for!"

Lily was glaring at him, furious. "Stop being such a jerk! You had to make him look like an idiot, didn't you?"

This was flipping ridiculous. Did she ever stop harping on at him? "I took the damned jinx off, didn't I? **And besides, it's not like Malfoy needs help to look like an idiot…**

"Only after making sure that he was completely humiliated! God, Sev, I thought that you'd have changed a little, what with joining Gryffindor and everything." This second part was spoken in a lower voice, although the fury remained.

"Where the hell does being in Gryffindor have to do with anything? Your boyfriend was a Gryffindor and the biggest prat I've ever known so…"

With those words, Severus turned on his heel and stalked away to his new dormitory. He had been pleased to discover that he was between Harry and Neville (with Ron sleeping on Harry's other side) as he had been worried that he'd be left next to Seamus Finnigan, an Irish boy who couldn't shut up if his life depended on it. His friends were already there, looking at him expectantly-no doubt they wanted to know what the hell had happened between the two. Severus really wasn't in the mood to talk, however, and so he simply said "It's complicated. Really complicated." And fell onto his sheets, exhausted.

_Err...Sorry for leaving you guys on a cliffie with the Prince duelling Voldie, but it was a good cliffie, right? RIGHT! So what did you guys think of that one? I personally though it went really well, but I'm sure it can be improved, so if you have any advice, review, review review! By the way, there was a small retcon in this chapter, they got a day off straight after they arrived-I thought it could be used to let the firsties get their bearings. I know that at the moment there are quite a few plot holes-Don't worry, I fully intend on addressing them all within the next few chapters._

_Coming up next time:_

_Severus and Lily reconcile (again) and get trunks and new, shiny, wands._

_They have their first lessons._

_The Keeper muses._

_Thanks for reading everyone, and remember, the more reviews I get, the quicker I update. See ya soon! :)  
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	5. The Wand of Darkness

**Sorry to anyone who thought that this was a new chapter. I'm going through and improving my story so it might be a good idea to reread this one! :)  
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**The Wand of Darkness  
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_Hi guys! This is my first ever fanfic and I really would appreciate reviews and advice on how to improve it. So far it's going well, at least in my opinion, but I promise to read any constructive criticism that you have to offer and, if possible, I'll try to respond to any comments you may have. Thanks for reading! _

_Notes:_

_Italics: Used for emphasis._

_**Bold:**__ Used to show Severus' thoughts._

_I'm really grateful that so many people reviewed my story this time, thank you all so much! I apologise for the incredibly, ridiculously, late chapter, but I'm afraid it was unavoidable. I was struck by writers block and I really couldn't think of how to put my ideas onto paper. I'm sorry for the delay, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it. I realise that I've neglected to post my responses to reviews so, without further ado, here we are!_

_Firstly, massive thanks to Iophiel, The Echo, SachaSacha, IonicAmalga, Jordina, la, yourbest fan, LoopyLaila, Eclaire Stones and epickerthanyou for your compliments and kind words. This chapter is dedicated to all of you. _: )

_Also lots of thanks to Seinde, for providing me with some great constructive criticism. I gave a lot of thought to what you said, and while I agree with you on both counts, I like writing long AN's. I know that it does mar professionalism a little but this is something I do as a leisure activity so I feel that it's kinda alright to do what I like with these AN's. Nonetheless, I thank you very much for your reviews. _J

_In this chapter The Dark Prince and Voldemort finish their duel, Severus and Lily try and patch things up once again, and they receive new wands and trunks. Warning: Contains the Keeper!_

The Prince

They were evenly matched. They were tiring at the same rate, and neither could harm the other with more than a glancing blow. While the Prince's sheer magical strength possibly surpassed that of the Dark Lord, Voldemort was decades older than him and far more experienced in the art of duelling-and it showed. He seemed to predict the Prince's every move, blocking it and countering with a blast of equal strength before either combatant could do so much as blink. The Prince cursed himself for being so ill-prepared for the battle-had he really been so arrogant to think that he could easily outmatch Lord Voldemort himself?

Voldemort, on the other hand, was confident, even a little amused. The smirk on his face seemed to mock the Prince, laugh at his inability to defeat a mere shadow of the Dark Lord. It was that smirk that drove the Prince off the edge.

" _**UMBRA TENTATIO!"**_

A flash of burning shadow, a wave of endless darkness, and then…silence. Both Voldemort and the Prince were paralyzed, seemingly unable to move as the darkness threatened to consume them...

_Three minutes later_

Both combatants were drained, shocked. The Prince's last bout of energy had been contained in that monstrous blast, and without it he was incapable of casting a single spell. Utterly exhausted, he sank to his knees. Voldemort was silent for all with shock and hatred, cursing the Prince as he died-for the Prince's final spell had blasted a gaping hole in Quirrel's chest. Even as the Prince watched, the body began to shrivel up and age rapidly-the price that the hosts of the Dark Lord always had to pay. The Prince was surprised that the Dark Lord had managed to keep the body alive so long, but he was too shocked, too exhausted to wonder why. He looked at the withered corpse with disgust, only turning away when he realised what had happened-their duel had levelled the building, leaving a crater in the centre of Knockturn Alley. That was going to raise a few eyebrows…

Cursing to himself, the Prince Disapparated.

_Two hours later_

Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Ministry's Auror office, frowned as he stared at the ruins of the building. This was going to need a lot of paperwork, and Scrimgeour detested paperwork-why stay in an office when you could be out actually making a difference? Normally he would be more than happy to delegate the responsibility to a junior officer, but today he had decided to make an exception-something wasn't right about this case, and Scrimgeour was determined to find out what it was. The stench of Dark Magic clung to the air, subtle and cloying-but powerful. Very, very powerful. All the Auror's had found was the corpse of a single man with a gaping hole in his chest, but the macabre sight wasn't just gory, it was bizarre. The corpse had definitely been killed recently, but it was decomposing at a suspiciously rapid rate...and the man had two heads, for Merlin's sake!

The Healer's at St. Mungo's had identified the corpse as Quirinus Quirrel, a former teacher at Hogwarts who had been fired the previous year for practising Dark Magic. Quirell's wand had produced some powerful Dark magic over past few days, and it seemed like the man had died in a duel. Scrimgeour had decided that the additional head was likely some kind of bizarre jinx fired at Quirrell by his attacker, but so far he was unable to identify which jinx that was. More disturbingly, he was unable to discover what the spell used to kill Quirell was. All his Auror's, supposedly the best of the best, had been able to tell him was that the spell used to destroy the deserted building was the same one used to kill Quirrell-and that worried Scrimgeour. What kind of spell could level a building and kill a man without being recorded by the Ministry. This was something new, something deadly-and for the first time in eleven years, Rufus Scrimgeour found that he was absolutely terrified…

Severus Snape

Life was very unfair, Severus bitterly reflected as he sat on his four-poster bed (Merlin, these were way more comfortable than the ones in the cold dungeon). Here he was, given a second chance to live his life, and things still weren't going his way. He still didn't have a wand or a trunk, Lily was still mad at him, for no reason whatsoever, and…and…was that really all that was wrong with his life?

Severus was quiet as he weighed the benefits of his new life against the darkness that still lingered. He was free from his abusive father, free from the machinations of Lucius Malfoy and his cronies, free from his endless feud with the self-styled Marauders. He had friends, true friends! Even if Lily was mad at him-again-she would come around eventually, right? After all, they were in the same house now, and they would share the same lessons-giving Severus plenty of time and plenty of oppurtunities to get her to bcome friends with him again. On the other hand, the fact that he was still sadly wandless (not to mention trunkless) was most certainly a major issue. Severus sighed in exasperation-he really couldn't think of a way around this particular problem-but decided that he'd worry about that in the morning. Banishing all negative thoughts from his head, Severus Snape fell into the first peaceful sleep he'd had in almost a year...

Lily Evans

Life was very unfair, Lily bitterly reflected as she sat on her four-poster bed (the same one that she had claimed in her original time, funnily enough). The Keeper had promised her a new start, a new, better life away from the shadow of her parents' demise-she remembered the moment vividly.

"_The future! I-I don't want to go there! What about my friends, my f-family!"_

_The Keeper smiled, looking oddly amused by Lily's outburst._

"_What family? Your sister, bitter and jealous? Your uncle, a drunkard lusting after your mother? Your mother, a broken shell of her former self? Ever since your father died, my dear, you haven't had a family. You've had a nightmare."_

_Lily was shocked, horrified. Not even her closest friends knew about her home life, the reason she only ever returned home for a week every year, preferring to stay with friends…"How…"_

"_I know everything about you, my dear. Everything. I also know something else: You don't have a choice, by breaking the Time Turner, you and Severus Snape have bound yourselves together for a journey that will change time itself. And Lily? In this time, things will be better. I promise…_

Despite the Keeper's enthralling promises, Lily's second life wasn't turning out very well. Her former best friend was still being an arse, she didn't have her wand or her trunk, and all her friends-including her own _son_ would probably think that she was completely crazy after the way she slapped Severus.

Lily forced herself to keep quiet, to suppress the bitterness and sorrow welling up inside her-she didn't want her new friends to think she was some kind of cry-baby on top of everything else after all. And so with a heavy heart and an uncharacteristically bleak mood, Lily fell asleep…

_Remus Lupin_

He was running. Running from his past, his fate, his curse. Remus Lupin was running, but he knew that he could never run fast enough. A blur, a feral laugh, and Lupin was tossed to the ground, a panting Greyback on top of him, holding him down.

"Unhand him, Greyback." The Prince strode into the scene, eyes flashing dangerously from beneath his hood. Greyback whined and straightened up, slinking to the Prince's side. The Prince watched dispassionately as the younger werewolf struggled against invisible bonds, cursing Greyback's name. The Prince waited for Lupin to stop struggling before he finally spoke, his voice as cold as Voldemort's (if not as high).

"Remus Lupin. How nice of you to visit."

"Spare me the pleasantries Prince. What do you want from me?"

"I know that you are investigating me, Mr. Lupin. That cannot be allowed_._ And what I want? I want…Your life."

"W-what! You're planning to just kill me? People know I'm after you, Prince! Scrimgeour, Crouch, even Dumbledore knows!"

"Hah! I don't plan to kill you, . There are other ways to take a life..._Imperio!"_

Lupin's mind struggled against his mental bond's but the Prince was relentless and eventually the werewolf succumbed to the Imperius, his eyes glazing over.

Greyback howled triumphantly, while the Prince looked at his latest thrall.

"And now, Mr. Lupin, you may look upon the face of your master…"

Severus Snape

_Oh Merlin, not this AGAIN! _Severus blearily thought as he saw the Keeper floating towards him. What did she want this time! She had already broken his wand; did she plan to mug him now?

"Relax, Mr. Prince. I intend you no harm."

"What did you just call me?"

"Prince-it is your name now, as well as your title-Lord Prince"

"What!"

"You are the last wizard of the Prince bloodline, as your future self was disowned. You are, quite literally, a different man now, but you still share the blood-and vaults- of the Princes.

"Wow." Severus was dumbstruck-he was rich now!

"Oh, Severus? I have a gift for you."

The Keeper outstretched a thin hand. Clutched within was…

"My wand! But…"

"I broke it?" The Keeper laughed. "My dear boy, time is meaningless to me. Retrieving your wand was the work of a second. Of course, if you'd prefer a new one…"

The Keeper outstretched her other hand, and a new wand appeared in it.

"14 inches long, made of Cypress, with the feather of a Thestral at its core. Unbending, durable. A particular affinity for sacrificial magics…This wand will take you far Mr. Prince, but it is a temperamental one. Willing to make a change?"

For a few seconds Severus was quiet, considering. A Thestral feather? Severus had never heard of a wand like that, and he had to admit that the idea of having such a unique wand was…appealing. Cypress wood was also very rare, although not unique. In the end, Severus decided that a new start deserved a new wand. When he turned back towards the Keeper, she was gone. Hovering at arm's length from him was the Cypress wand. The moment he touched it he felt a great wave of energy pass through him and into the sky. Before he fell into unconsciousness he was vaguely aware of being surrounded by a malignant Darkness, one that seemed to be pouring out from his wand-wait, were Cypress trees black!

When Severus came to, he realised that he was once again in his bed. Clutched in his right hand was a wand as dark as midnight, the aura radiating from it almost physical in its strength. On his bedside table was a tiny trunk, identical to Severus' own. A quick charm revealed that it was indeed a shrunk version of his own trunk. Feeling relieved , Severus quickly fell asleep once again, barely remembering to place his wand in a drawer before succumbing once more to sleep's warm embrace…

The Keeper watched Severus sleep with a strange, almost fond look upon her cold face.

"Sleep well, my little Champion. And your wand? Cypress symbolises **necromancy**, my dear boy. The devastation you could wreak with such a wand…"

The next morning

Severus was up at six, as he was every day. He found that an early start was the best way to avoid the Marauders…Wait, there weren't any Marauders. What was he meant to do now! Shrugging, Severus expanded his new trunk, deciding to see what was concealed within. He was pleasantly surprised to discover a wide selection of well-made clothes, the type he could never afford in his past life. He was happier with the books, however. Along with the school books he would no doubt need for the coming year, the Keeper had thoughtfully provided a large amount of additional reading material-everything from _**Quidditch: The Ultimate Guide**_to _**In Noctem: How to unleash the Dark Lord in you!**_ Figuring that his housemates might not appreciate the wisdom contained in that particular tome, Severus settled down to read about Quidditch, not expecting a particularly good read-best get the worst of the bunch over and done with, right?

Half an hour later, Severus was completely willing to retract his former snide thoughts-the book was fantastic. The author was brilliant, able to educate and entertain simultaneously with a mastery many lacked. The Keeper, whoever she was, clearly possessed a good eye for books-and that was a trait that Severus most certainly respected.

"Hey, what're you reading?" Ron Weasley.

"Just a book about Quidditch, why?"

"Quidditch? _Brilliant._"

With those words Ron bounded over to Severus and began reading over his shoulder, much to Severus' annoyance. Suddenly he heard a whisper in his mind-_Geminio_-and he fumbled for his wand. _"Geminio."_ A pale light emanated from his wand and hit the book, duplicating it perfectly. Severus gaped for a second before hefting the book at Ron. "Read it quick. It'll only last for a few days." _How did I know that?_

"Bloody hell, Sev'rus. This is brilliant!"

Severus agreed. The wand was brilliant indeed. But why?

_What did you think? This was a little shorter than my last chapter, so apologies for that. I will try to update again by the end of the week to apologise for my former llateness Review are very appreciated, as always. By the way, I do NOT intend to make Severus a god-type character, I will always have Lily and the Dark Prince to act as foils for him. (not Voldemort, as I don't want to steal Harry's D__estiny from him.)_

_As always, reviews are very much appreciated. _: )_  
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	6. Lessons

**Lessons **

_Oh, wow. I'm so very, very sorry to any old-time readers seeing this. I know that this is ridculously late, but I really didn't have much free time recently at all.  
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_Notes:_

_Italics: Used for emphasis._

_**Bold:**__ Used to show Severus' thoughts._

_I'm really grateful to everyone who has reviewed, thank you all so much! I hope you all enjoyed Christmas as much as I did. I tried to make this chapter a little longer than the last one to make up for the lateness.  
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_In this chapter, school finally begins and much learning occurs. Apologies to all, but I am not aware of the official Hogwarts timetable so I made up my own. No deep and tragic events occurring, this is a happy chapter. _:-)

**Severus**

Severus and Ron continued reading the book for almost an hour, before they were distracted by the awakening of their fellows. Harry seemed particularly discomfited, looking as though he had a rough night. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, the boy quickly put on his Gryffindor robes and turned to Severus and Ron, who were already dressed.

"How long have you two been up for?" he asked, seeming genuinely curious.

Ron shrugged, avoiding Harry's eyes. "I've been up for an hour or so, no clue about Severus."

Harry turned expectantly to Severus, awaiting an answer.

"A couple of hours." Severus did not elucidate further, although inwardly he was wondering whether Ron was suffering from homesickness.

The three chatted for a few more moments before being joined by Neville and making their way down to the common room, where Lily and Hermione were impatiently waiting for them. Severus' eyes strayed to the wand clutched in Lily's hand and realised with a jolt of surprise that it was made of a wood he could not quite place-it seemed that the Keeper had given away more than one wand last night. Catching her eye, he gave her a quick, conciliatory grin-knowing Lily, she was probably still annoyed with him for humiliating Malfoy last night. To his surprise, she returned the smile with a sheepish one of her own.

"Hey, Sev. Err…I'm sorry about last night, I guess I overreacted a little."

**Wait, what! Lily, apologising to me?**

Crushing the faint, petty urge to reject her apology, he spoke quickly.

"Forget about it Lily, it's alright. Just…lay off the slapping, alright?"

Lily mastered her surprise quickly-evidently she had been expecting him to let her stew in guilt for a while before forgiving her. She smiled at him sheepishly, obviously regretting her hasty actions-but then, Lily always did have the Gryffindor tendency to act rashly. The two looked at each other awkwardly for a moment and then looked away sheepishly after hearing Ron's wolf-whistling. Hermione saved the situation by bossily interjecting: "Hurry up you lot, or we'll be late for Herbology!" Severus shot the sniggering Ron a half-hearted glare and coughed awkwardly. "Ah, yes. Herbology, of course." He then hurried off, the rest of the group following.

As they made their way to the greenhouse, Severus had a thought. Pulling Lily to the side, he hissed "Lily, what are we going to do about lessons!" Lily gaped in confusion momentarily before realising what he was getting at. "You're right," she sighed. "We're far too ahead of everyone else, and we were top of our year to begin with anyway. Sev, I think we're going to have to tell someone." Severus, considering her suggestion, slowly shook his head.

"Lily, there's no point. It would be a nightmare getting them to forgive us, especially considering the fact that we seem to have continued with our day to day lives after the incident."

"…I guess you've got a point. Shall we just try to play dumb in class?"

Severus smirked. "You can play dumb if you like. I have no such intention. Let's just try and work at the same level as we did in our first year-as far as I recall, we were easily top of our year back then anyway."

Lily smiled cheerfully. "Glad we've got that settled. Hey, wait for us!" she exclaimed. Severus turned, and realised that they were starting to fall behind the rest of the group. Relieved that they were friends again, he walked towards Ron, who was busy explaining why the Chudley Cannons were still the best in the league, even if they hadn't won anything in years. He cleared his throat. "Er, Ron?"

"What is it, Severus?"

"Err…Herbology's in the other direction"

After the group, with a little help from Severus and Lily, managed to locate the greenhouse, they were cheerfully greeted by the plump Professor Sprout. To their great surprise, they were the first ones there. Ron nudged Severus. "Thought you said we'd be late!" Severus smirked. "If I hadn't got you to hurry up, we would have been." Harry laughed, but was quickly silenced as Draco Malfoy swept into the greenhouse, flanked by his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. With them standing menacingly behind him, Draco seemed rather more confident than he had the previous night. Pushing an enraged Ron aside, Malfoy strode up to Harry.

"What's so funny, Potter? Think you're some great wizard now, with Prince to back you up? Bet you couldn't last a minute in a duel with a real wizard."

Ron snorted, and then came to a nonplussed Harry's aid. "Oh yeah, Malfoy? If Harry couldn't last a minute, I bet you couldn't last a second. He's worth a hundred of you any day!"

Malfoy laughed snidely. "You're one to talk, Weasley. You and Potter together couldn't take me on!"

Severus, who had been watching the exchange with some interest-as had Professor Sprout for some reason-decided that now was the time to step in. He slowly stepped in front of Malfoy, noting with some pleasure that he towered over the blonde boy. He fingered his new wand casually, suppressing a smirk as he saw Malfoy cringe.

"Mess with my friends, Malfoy, and you mess with me-maybe this time I'll turn you _purple_."

Malfoy coloured momentarily, but then mustered up enough courage for a retort as he scurried away. "You'll get yours, Prince. You may be alright with jinxes, but I bet you don't know a single curse!"

Severus raised his wand, intent on rebuttal. The black wood pulsed with a terrible glee, seeming to anticipate the coming spell.

"Sectum-"

Lily quickly grabbed his arm, sensing danger. Severus closed his eyes and counted to ten, trying to dispel the anger he felt. After he felt reasonably sure that he wasn't going to behead Malfoy, he opened his eyes only to see that all of his friends were looking at him worriedly except for Lily who looked somewhat disappointed with him. Looking at her apologetically, he stowed away his wand and started to pay attention to Professor Sprout, who had begun a welcoming speech. Having heard it all before, his attention began to wander and he started surreptitiously sneaking glances at his classmates. Ron and Harry looked bored, although they were still listening, Lily, like him, had lost concentration and was looking around the greenhouse, while Neville and Hermione were listening intently to Sprout. He caught Lily's eye and mimed falling asleep. He grinned triumphantly when she was forced to stifle a giggle, getting a glare from Professor Sprout.

"Am I boring you, Miss Whitegrove?"

Lily looked around wildly before blushing as she realised that Professor Sprout was addressing her. "Err, no, Professor."

Professor Sprout stared at her for a few more seconds before continuing with her speech. By the time she stopped, it was time for their next lesson-Defence against the Dark Arts.

The journey to their classroom was uneventful, although Severus and Ron were starting to feel the effects of their lack of sleep and were yawning fitfully. Harry, Hermione and Neville were excitedly talking about what DADA would be like, while Lily listened to them chat with a weary smile on her face. The chatter slowly died down as they approached the classroom, only to realise that the heavy, forbidding black door was locked tight and the class was milling around, unsure of what to do. The group paused for a moment, and then Hermione spoke up. "Come on, you lot, isn't it obvious what we're meant to be doing? We have to open the door!" She marched up towards the lock, tapped it twice, and whispered the charm. The lock glowed briefly, but stayed shut.

Severus and Lily exchanged a look and raised their wands, preparing to blow the door open. Lily began the countdown.

"Three, Two, One…REDUCTO!"

The twin blasts decimated the doorway, leaving not even a speck of dust. As the class gawped, the pair exchanged smug looks and stepped into the classroom, greeted by a slow clap. The class looked towards the source of the sound as one, only to see nothing. For a few seconds, all was quiet, and then-

"Expelliarmus!"

The beam was aimed directly at the hapless Crabbe, who yelped as his wand flew from his hand. Ron's snigger was cut short as he too was rapidly disarmed. Draco was slightly quicker, managing to dodge the rapid strike aimed at him. The next shot was aimed at Lily, who blocked the shot easily with a Protego and sent a red blast towards the source of the sound. A silvery shield blocked her strike, and then the voice rang out again.

"Enough. Greetings, fifth years, my name is William Scrimgeour and I will be your Defence against the Dark Arts instructor this year."

A low murmur rang through the class, stopping when Hermione spoke up.

"Sir, we're first years."

The invisible teacher paused momentarily, chuckling sheepishly. With a flourish, he whipped off a silvery cloak and became visible to general amazement. Ron was particularly excited. "Blimey, that's an Invisibility Cloak. They're really rare."

Scrimgeour smiled briefly. "Indeed they are Mr Weasley, indeed they are. Apologies for the little door trick, I was wondering why it took you so long to get that…Although, I must say that in light of your youth I find your skills and abilities extremely impressive, Miss Whitegrove and Mr…Prince, was it?

Severus nodded. Scrimgeour smiled at him and continued.

"At any rate, I must inform that I will only be teaching you for a year, so you'd better enjoy me while I last! As an Auror, I strongly believe that the greatest priority when it comes to teaching is instructing you children how to duel. Learning about dangerous magical creatures and dark magic is all very well and good, but in order to defend yourselves, you must have the ability to duel efficiently. Throughout the year, I will introduce you to increasingly complicated spells, and at the end of the year we will have a little tournament. The first spell we will be learning is…_SOMNUS_!

He shot a bolt of white light at Severus, who cancelled it out with a clear shield that dissipated upon impact.

"Good, very good!" exclaimed Scrimgeour, eyes gleaming. "Five points to Gryffindor! And can anyone tell me what the spell _Somnus _does to the target?"

Hermione and Lily both raised their hand quickly, closely followed by a rather ugly Slytherin girl.

"Ah, Miss Granger. Care to share the answer with us?"

Hermione's answer was quick and clear: "The _Somnus _jinx is utilised in order to render the target unconscious, or asleep. While not as effective as the spell _Stupefy_, it is easier to cast and less potentially dangerous."

"Excellent work, Miss Granger. Take another point to Gryffindor."

Hermione beamed. The rest of the lesson passed fairly uneventfully as Scrimgeour explained to the class why they would be starting with duelling, despite the fact that it was a rather advanced topic for first years. He then set them their first homework of the year, telling them to spend half an hour practising _Somnus_ with a partner. The class left the room positively buzzing with excitement-the group had a good laugh when they heard Draco Malfoy confidently boast to a gaggle of Slytherin students that his father had given him only the very best of duelling instructors, and as a result he was certain that he would excel in Defence this year.

After an exceptionally boring History of Magic lesson, class was over. As they walked towards their common room, Severus noticed that Harry seemed a little downcast. Feeling a surge of unexpected envy for the boy he had been fully prepared to hate, he mustered up his courage and asked Harry, a little stiffly, whether he was alright. Harry looked up, a little taken aback.

"No, I'm fine Severus, honest. I just…feel a little behind, that's all. You, Lily and Hermione are so good at everything, and Ron and Neville have lived with magic their whole lives. Magic's amazing, really it is, but sometimes I can't help but feel a little out of my depth."

Upon hearing this, Lily rushed towards her kind-of son and began comforting him in a manner that seemed hilariously maternal, to Severus at least. Neville, who had been rather quiet the whole day, suddenly spoke up.

"Trust me Harry, you'll be fine. Can't be any worse than me, anyway…"

Ron, eager to stop the conversation before it descended into a massive pity-fest, suddenly interjected with a rather astute question.

"By the way, Lily, how come you're so good at magic and stuff? I mean, Hermione's brilliant and all, but you know spells I've never even heard of."

Lily turned bright red. Severus inwardly groaned, knowing from bitter experience that Lily was a truly terrible liar. After a moment he stepped in to save her.

"It's because of me. Lily and I have been friends for ages now, and I taught her everything she knows!"

"As if, Sev. Don't listen to him; he didn't know anything until he met me!"

Severus smirked. "Of course, you irritated me into learning a few jinxes just to keep you away!"

Tension successfully diffused (and question cunningly avoided) the group finally returned to the common room. Suddenly, Hermione dashed off to the girls dormitory saying that he had to get something she wanted to show everyone. Shrugging, Ron started to tell the others about the time his brothers had turned their home into a giant duck. Ron was a fairly good storyteller, and even Severus found himself amused by the tale-even if he did secretly suspect that Ron had just made it up on the spot. Seconds after Ron concluded the story, Hermione, looking a little winded, sprinted down clutching a somewhat tattered looking newspaper.

Ron looked somewhat disappointed. "You wanted to show us a newspaper?"

Hermione sniffed. "No, idiot. I wanted to show you what's inside the book. During lunch I had to go to the library to get a book about sleeping spells to help me study _Somnus_-stop sniggering like that, Ron-and while I was there I found this newspaper on my table, with a note!" With a flourish, Hermione produced a yellowed piece of paper with a few large words scrawled across it:_ It's here-third floor._

The group was silent for a few seconds, until Ron asked what everone was thinking: "So what?"

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "Look on the page." She pointed at a paragraph midway down the page:

_Nicholas_ _Flamel, esteemed creator of the Philosopher's Stone and well-known friend of Albus Dumbledore was seen at Hogwarts only yesterday. Rumors suggest that he was speaking to the Headmaster to discuss the recent ransacking of Flamel's home. This reporter suggests that Flamel may be looking for an alternative place to hide his greatest treasure, the legendary Stone itself-perhaps in light of the recent break in at Gringotts? ~Rita Skeeter_

**End**

_Sorry for the little cliffhanger there, but it's nothing major, I assure you all. William Scrimgeour is an OC younger brother of Rufus Scrimgeour, and he is a former Auror. He's meant to be a little scatterbrained, as illustrated by getting his classes mixed up, but he is a very good teacher-I felt they deserved at least one or two good Defence against the Dark Arts teachers! I've got ideas for the entire first year, but I've got a little dilemma at the moment. Should the Potions Master be Slughorn or a Death Eater? Either would work. Anyway, I apologise once again for my ridiculous lateness, hopefully I'll have the next chapter up a lot quicker than the last. I've also got a little question for you lot-would you like me to stick rigidly to canon except for Sev and Lily, or would you mind if I added twists like the Duelling competition every now and then? Another note to anyone readin either of my other two short stories-major apologies, but they are currently on a bit of a hiatus, which will be lifted as soon as my writers block ends.  
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